2025:Program/Empowering Women for a Sustainable Wikimedia Future – She Leads Impact

Session title: Empowering Women for a Sustainable Wikimedia Future – She Leads Impact

Session type: Lecture

Track: Pre-conference event: WikiWomen

Language: en

The She Leads program is a pioneering initiative designed to empower and support women in the Wikimedia movement by fostering leadership, collaboration, and skill development. Launched in March 2024, the program provides a structured platform for Indian female Wikimedians to build confidence, strengthen their contributions, and step into leadership roles.

This session will explore the impact of She Leads, highlighting success stories, challenges, and lessons learned from the program’s participants. We will discuss how mentorship, capacity-building, and networking opportunities have helped create a more inclusive and sustainable Wikimedia ecosystem. By examining the outcomes of the initiative, we aim to inspire more women to actively engage in Wikimedia leadership and shape the future of free knowledge.

She Leads is transforming the Wikimedia landscape and h

Description

The She Leads program is a dedicated initiative designed to empower women in the Wikimedia movement by providing structured support, mentorship, and leadership opportunities. Launched in March 2024, the program has successfully enabled Indian female Wikimedians to enhance their skills, gain confidence, and step into leadership roles. After the success of the first iteration, the second phase of She Leads is currently in progress following the She Leads Bootcamp 2025. This bootcamp served as a key milestone in training and equipping participants with essential leadership skills.

This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the program’s journey, highlighting its impact, achievements, and the way forward. We will delve into the challenges faced, lessons learned, and real-life success stories of women who have benefitted from the initiative. The discussion will also focus on the sustainability of women’s leadership in Wikimedia, strategies to foster long-term engagement and the importance of such initiatives in building an equitable movement.

Through this session, we aim to inspire more regional and global replication of the She Leads model, fostering an inclusive, diverse, and empowered Wikimedia community.

Session Aim: To showcase the impact of the She Leads program, discuss its role in building leadership capacity for women in Wikimedia, and explore strategies for sustainability, replication, and long-term engagement.

Session Objectives: Share key learnings, challenges, and success stories from She Leads participants (Evaluate the Impact), highlight developments from She Leads Bootcamp 2025 and the next steps in the program (Discuss the Second Iteration), explore ways to enhance women's leadership skills and engagement in Wikimedia (Empower Future Leaders), discuss strategies to sustain and expand She Leads, ensuring long-term impact (Ensure Sustainability), encourage similar leadership programs in other Wikimedia communities worldwide (foster Global Replication).

How does your session relate to the event theme, Wikimania@20 – Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability?

The She Leads program directly aligns with the Wikimania@20 theme by focusing on inclusivity, impact, and sustainability in the Wikimedia movement: Inclusivity: She Leads is designed to bridge the gender gap in Wikimedia by actively empowering women and creating opportunities for them to take on leadership roles. The program fosters a diverse and inclusive environment where women from different backgrounds can engage, contribute, and shape the Wikimedia ecosystem. By providing mentorship, training, and a supportive network, She Leads ensures that women’s voices are heard and valued in decision-making spaces. Impact: Since its launch in March 2024, She Leads has had a tangible impact on enhancing women's participation and leadership in Wikimedia. The program has helped increase representation, improve skills, and create a community of women leaders who drive change in their respective Wikimedia projects. This session will highlight success stories, lessons learned, and how the second iteration—She Leads Bootcamp 2025—is scaling its impact to reach more women. Sustainability: Sustainability is a key focus of She Leads, ensuring that the leadership and engagement of women in Wikimedia go beyond a single program. The session will discuss strategies for long-term engagement, mentorship models, and community-driven leadership development. By sharing insights on program expansion and replicability, we aim to inspire regional and global adoption of similar initiatives, reinforcing a sustainable approach to gender equity in Wikimedia. This session not only celebrates the impact of She Leads but also contributes to Wikimania’s 20-year journey of making Wikimedia more inclusive, impactful, and sustainable for the future.

What is the experience level needed for the audience for your session?

Everyone can participate in this session

Speakers

• gillteshu

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